The Cayman Islands have come up with a popular, value-driven, summer program for families that’s fun and educational.
Appropriately dubbed the Cayman Summer Splash package, the program runs until September 6 and features a weekly appearance of everyone’s favorite squishy hero, Nickelodeon’s own SpongeBob SquarePants.
The highlights of the Summer Splash program include:
• Stay five nights, pay for 4 at participating hotels and condos. These are listed on the rich, easy-to-navigate web site, but include some of the island’s best: Comfort Suites, Compass Point and the Ramada Resort, most of which are nicely situated on Grand Cayman’s beautifully manicured 7-Mile Beach.
My favorite is The Westin Casuarina with its friendly staff and happy family groups.
• Children flying on Cayman Airways are discounted 30%, one child per paying adult.
• Participating restaurants feed kids for free from the kids’ menu, with a paying adult. The participating restaurants are attractive, many of them are seaside, and my favorite in-town place for lunch is included, Breezes By The Bay
• Island attractions are also free for kids, with a paying adult. Grand Cayman has some of the Caribbean’s best and most attractive venues, like Dolphin Discovery, Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park, and Sting Ray City, all carefully thought out and interesting family experiences.
• Older kids (10-17) interested in diving can rent gear for free, and get 50% off diving fees. There’s a 2 for 1 Discover Scuba Diving certification course, again, with an accompanying adult.
The main star of the Summer Splash program is most certainly the Cayman Islands Sea School with the loveable SpongeBob.
Sea School is a terrific way for families to explore the beauty and wonder of underwater life by riding in a trim, glass-bottom boat.
When I took the trip, I was fascinated by the striking stained-glass fish inches away from my face, and so were the kids and parents.
I loved the gullies and coral…and so did the kids.
They had all kinds of questions about the sunken ships and the names of fish and what they eat, great kids’ questions, eagerly answered by the Sea School “teachers” who happily pointed out Parrot Fish and Puffer Fish and gave mini-quizzes.

The underwater classroom lasts a bit more than an hour, and at the end, waiting on the dock, in all his yellow-squared glory is SpongeBob who poses for pictures with the families and sends them off with a smile and a wave, and memories.

One caution, on windy days the motion of the boat can cause a bit of queasiness, which a trip up to the deck usually settles.
The SpongeBob Adventure with Sea School happens every Monday and Friday from 1-2, so reserve your place at ciseaschool@caymanislands.ky

Since it’s difficult to keep a good sponge down, Bob also appears at other places on the island in statue form: Boatswain’s Beach, an educational and entertaining look at the island’s great turtle preservation program; Botanic Park and Pedro St. James.
In fact, if you visit all three attractions, you get a SpongeBob beanie babie

One last word. Grand Cayman of course, has two very small sister island, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, both of which we visited.
In every case, the Caymanians are soft-spoken, polite and thoughtful people.
The government places a high value on clean streets and parks and stresses conservation and ecology more than most Caribbean destinations.

If you’re looking for a summer vacation that combines fun and learning, we think the Cayman Island Summer Splash program is it.

The Caymans are diving, and there are many good dive centers to chose from. We recommend Eden Rock Dive Center